Top Five Cases of OC Killer Cops NOT Caught on Film

The shocking video footage of six Fullerton cops cursing, threatening, and then beating the living crap out of mentally ill homeless person Kelly Thomas was finally released yesterday, some ten months after Thomas died from his July 5, 2011 injuries. The brutal killing is rightly being greeted with outrage. Sadly, however, what makes it a uniquely chilling case isn't the actions of the officers involved, but rather the fact that they were caught on film, and that the camera also captured the heartbreaking audio of Thomas repeatedly apologizing to the officers who were torturing him, pleading for mercy as they beat him into the coma from which he never woke up.

But perhaps the most shocking aspect of the Thomas killing is the fact that the cops obviously assumed that there would be no consequences for their actions. In fact, they had every right to expect that, because until now, not a single cop in Orange County history has ever been prosecuted for killing someone in the line of duty. What follows are five particularly memorable examples of OC cops killing people--actually four successful killings and one attempted one--and then getting away with it.1. Antonio Saldivar

On May 5, 2001, Huntington Beach Police Officer Mark Wersching was chasing a gang suspect in the city's Oak View neighborhood when he shot 16-year-old Saldivar in the back, killing him instantly. At first, police announced that Saldivar was the suspect, and that Wersching had shot him in self-defense after Saldivar pointed a rifle at him. But days later, the cops changed their story: Saldivar was an innocent bystander and the "rifle" was actually a toy cork gun, which Wersching improbably tried to claim that Saldivar had pointed at him. By the time of the shooting, Wersching had already been disciplined repeatedly (although never arrested, of course), for crashing his car while driving drunk on the beach, thus injuring a passenger, stealing fireworks from the fire department, and getting in drunken fights on Main Street while off duty. The city paid $2.1 million to Saldivar's family. No charges filed.

2. Elmer Bustos

Police claim that Bustos was a gang member who shot at cops chasing him on Jan. 27. Friends and other witnesses say Bustos wasn't carrying a gun, but was walking down the street with his girlfriend a block from Willard Elementary School when he ran from cops, and they shot him in the back. No charges filed.

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Thanks for all the hard work the volunteers of oc weekly do to make this paper free. With the rising cost of daily newspapers it's nice to get a paper out weekly for free. I'd be willing to pay 50 cents for an oc weekly though occasionally.

We the People must stop deifying the police. They deserve to be held accountable just like all other citizens.

Every police agency should require every officer who has contact with the public to wear body cameras that record audio/video of every officer-citizen contact. They are small, affordable, reliable and protect both the officers and citizens.

If you see that video and you agree with the verdict you're a fucking moron. And I don't believe the weekly ever showed the video. Just listen to the verdict of an obviously corrupt system like a zombie, fucking dumbass.

Those cops are just trigger happy. I recommend every cop in SoCal spend some time in LA county to get some real hands on patrolling skills on the streets of inner cities like Watts, South Central, Compton, Lynwood, Downtown LA to name a few. I am sure they'll wish they were back on the streets of the OC with a quickness serving their communities proud;)

You forgot about Chamberlain-where deputy Taylor communicated jail style to an inmate that they would all get extra day room and movie if the shot caller got the rest of the inmates to shut the whining Chamberlain up (Chamberlain was trying to get pc'd and little deputy Taylor who just got back from vacation didn't feel like dealing with the paperwork, so they dropped a bug in the shot callers ear that Chamberlain was a pedophile) Chamberlain had not even been arraigned yet. But Taylor decided to play judge, jury and executioner and sicked the other inmates on the guy. Chamberlain's head was stomped so hard that one of his eyeballs popped out. As you all know dickhead Taylor lost his job and the white guys got murder convictions. And get this...the white guys didn't even kill him, it was the boarder brothers. Chamberlain was still alive when the white guys finished with him. But the boarder brothers were jumping from the top bunks on to his face when they got their turn. There is no justice in Orange County. It's a police state and if we are going to live here we better just fucking accept it.

I said nothing about 2 sides. There is just a system of justice we have in the United States. Dos Chinos were you at every day of the trial? I seriously doubt it. Just be a good sheep and follow what the Weekly tells you to believe.
Also I like how if you don't agree with the Weekly they delete your post. What great objective media.

I work with disabled adults and I don't mean physically disabled. This population can be very violent. When I am attacked I can't hand cuff them or hit them or I go to jail. But I guess if your a cop in Fullerton and a disabled guy ( mentally ill ) doesn't follow your instructions to the letter you can beat him to death. Police forces across the country spend millions on less than lethal weapons I guess they forgot to train their officers to be firm but fair and decent. I understand they have a job to do but deadly force on a hand cuffed small mentally ill man is disgraceful! It would have been nice to see how tough these cops would have been in general population in our nearest state prison with no hand cuffs , clubs or badges to hide behind.

Obviously there was some reasonable doubt. The jury heard all the evidence. How can we make a judgement when all we hear is what the media spews at us??? Our jury system isn't perfect but it is the best in the world.

Scratch off the Fullerton nightclub district as another place that isn't safe to go to. But the reason of course isn't the criminals, it's the cops. Or has that become a distinction without a difference?

THIS IS LIKE A "DROP IN THE BUCKET" AS TO THEIR ILLEGAL DOINGS !! HOW ABOUT THAT WOMAN THAT WAS KILLED RECENTLY WHILE SHE WAS ALREADY IN CUFFS BY A FEMALE OFFICER WHO KICKED HER REPEATEDLY IN HER GENITALS, AND STOMACH ??? What kind of message does that send to the kids ????